An aerial sketch of Bismarck. Important buildings are numbered and a legend is on the bottom. The Missouri River is visible in the left background. A plan sketch of the courthouse is inset on the bottom left.

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An aerial sketch of Bismarck. Important buildings are numbered and a legend is on the bottom. The Missouri River is visible in the left background. A plan sketch of the courthouse is inset on the bottom left.

Bismarck was founded as the Missouri River terminal of the Northern Pacific Railroad. There were several names for this city before Bismarck became official in 1873. The city became the county seat of Burleigh County in 1873 and the capitol of the Datkota Territory in 1883.